InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEUT JOB YEHO (JOS) HERO (JDG) RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG YOEL (JOEL) MIC ISA ZEP HAB YIR (JER) LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBAD DAN EZEK EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL 2 PS WIS TOB MAN BAR G DAN G ESD L ESD ESG JDT 3 MAC SIR 1 MAC 2 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL LAOD PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
InterlinearVerse Mat C1 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28
Mat 2 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23
People tagged in the matching LV passage: Herod
Places tagged in the matching LV passage: Bethlehem (GEN 35:19)
Used in these topics: Advent (all) · Advent revelation (epiphany)
OET-LV And having_sent them to Baʸthleʼem he_said:
Having_been_gone, search_out exactly for the little_child, and when you_all_may_find him, report to_me so_that also_I, having_come, may_prostrate before_him.
OET (OET-RV) Then he sent them on to Beyt-Lehem with these instructions: “Go on and carefully investigate about the child, and when you find him, report back to me so that I can also come and worship him.”
In this section, Matthew showed his readers that:
Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem as scripture predicted (even though he would later move to Nazareth, and people considered him to be a Nazarene).
The Jewish religious teachers who knew the law did not go to worship the king of the Jews. It was the Gentile wise men who worshiped him.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The Visit of the Wise Men (NET)
Visitors from the East (GNT)
Herod tried to trick the wise men. He wanted to know exactly how old the baby Jesus was. And he wanted to know exactly where the baby was. But he did not want them to know that he was planning to kill the child (2:13).
And sending them to Bethlehem, he said:
He sent them to Bethlehem saying,
Then he told them to go to Bethlehem. He said,
And: This verse begins with a conjunction that the BSB translates as And. In some languages, it may be natural to begin 2:8 with a conjunction to show that this was the next thing that Herod did. For example:
Then (NRSV)
Next
sending them to Bethlehem, he said: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as sending them to Bethlehem, he said indicates that the sending and saying occurred at the same time.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
As he sent them to Bethlehem, he said (GW)
Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions (GNT)
Another way to translate sending them is to put it at the end of 2:8. For example:
8aHe said to them, 8b“Go to Bethlehem and make a careful search for the child. 8cAs soon as you find him, report to me, 8dso that I too may go and worship him.” 8aThen he sent them away.
“Go and search carefully for the Child,
“Go and thoroughly search for the child.
“Go to Bethlehem and look carefully for the young child.
search carefully: The phrase search carefully indicates that Herod wanted them to make sure that they had found the right child.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Look carefully (NCV)
search diligently (ESV)
Child: This word Child refers to a young child, but in this context probably not a baby. Use a term for a child around two years old or younger.
and when you find Him, report to me,
When you(plur) find him, come back and tell me,
After you(plur) find him, return here and inform me.
report to me: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as report to me refers to telling someone about something or someone. Also, it is implied Herod wanted the wise men to return to him and then tell him.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
come back and tell me (NLT)
return here and inform me
bring me word (ESV)
so that I too may go and worship Him.”
in order that I too can go and prostrate/kneel before him and worship him.”
Then I also will go and bow before him to honor/adore him.” He said this deceitfully/lying.
so that I too may go and worship Him: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as so that indicates the purpose for the wise men to tell Herod where the child was. Herod wanted them to report to him in order that he too could go and worship the child. This was what he said.
Herod lied about wanting to worship the child. He really wanted to find him so that he could kill him. If people in your area will think that Herod was truthful about going and worshiping the child, you may want to include some implied information. For example:
“…so that I too may go and worship him.” He said this deceitfully/lying.
Then he lied saying, “Then I too will go and worship him.”
worship: See the note on 2:2c and translate this word as you did there.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-time-sequential
καὶ πέμψας αὐτοὺς εἰς Βηθλέεμ εἶπεν, πορευθέντες ἐξετάσατε ἀκριβῶς περὶ τοῦ παιδίου; ἐπὰν δὲ εὕρητε, ἀπαγγείλατέ μοι ὅπως κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί πέμψας αὐτούς εἰς Βηθλέεμ εἶπεν Πορευθέντες ἐξετάσατε ἀκριβῶς περί τοῦ παιδίου ἐπάν δέ εὕρητε ἀπαγγείλατε μοί ὅπως κἀγώ ἐλθών προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ)
Matthew tells how King Herod sent the learned men to Bethlehem before he mentions what King Herod told them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could rearrange this verse so that it tells the events in sequential order. Alternate translation: [And he said, “Having gone, search carefully for the young child, and after you have found him, report to me so that I also, having come, might worship him.” Then, he sent them to Bethlehem.]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / go
πορευθέντες
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί πέμψας αὐτούς εἰς Βηθλέεμ εἶπεν Πορευθέντες ἐξετάσατε ἀκριβῶς περί τοῦ παιδίου ἐπάν δέ εὕρητε ἀπαγγείλατε μοί ὅπως κἀγώ ἐλθών προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ)
In a context such as this, your language might say “come” instead of gone. Alternate translation: [Having come]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular
ἐξετάσατε & εὕρητε, ἀπαγγείλατέ
search_out & ˱you_all˲_˓may˒_find_‹him› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί πέμψας αὐτούς εἰς Βηθλέεμ εἶπεν Πορευθέντες ἐξετάσατε ἀκριβῶς περί τοῦ παιδίου ἐπάν δέ εὕρητε ἀπαγγείλατε μοί ὅπως κἀγώ ἐλθών προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ)
Since Herod is speaking to the learned men, the word you and the commands search and report are plural.
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / go
ἐλθὼν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί πέμψας αὐτούς εἰς Βηθλέεμ εἶπεν Πορευθέντες ἐξετάσατε ἀκριβῶς περί τοῦ παιδίου ἐπάν δέ εὕρητε ἀπαγγείλατε μοί ὅπως κἀγώ ἐλθών προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ)
In a context such as this, your language might say “gone” instead of come. Alternate translation: [having gone]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
προσκυνήσω
˓may˒_prostrate
Translate worship as you did in 2:2. Alternate translation: [might bow before] or [might kneel before him to honor]
OET-LV And having_sent them to Baʸthleʼem he_said:
Having_been_gone, search_out exactly for the little_child, and when you_all_may_find him, report to_me so_that also_I, having_come, may_prostrate before_him.
OET (OET-RV) Then he sent them on to Beyt-Lehem with these instructions: “Go on and carefully investigate about the child, and when you find him, report back to me so that I can also come and worship him.”
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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